Shay Cormac

Shay Cormac (1731-) was a member of the Assassin Order from 1748 to 1756 who later joined the Templar Order and hunted down his former comrades. Cormac was the captain of the sloop Morrigan during the Seven Years' War, and he roamed the Hudson River Valley and the North Atlantic Ocean with his crew, attacking French and British ships. Cormac was the main leader of the Colonial Assassin Purge of 1756-1761, and spent much of this time in search of the Voynich Manuscript, an artifact coveted by both the Assassins and Templars. His search ended in Versailles in 1776, when he killed Charles Dorian, the father of the future assassin Arno Dorian. Although the American Revolution had destroyed much of the Templar influence in the Americas, Cormac saw promise in the upcoming revolution in France, and masterminded the recovery of the order.

Biography
Shay Cormac was born in New York City to immigrants from Dublin, Ireland. His mother died in childbirth and his father served in the merchant marine. While visiting his father at the docks one day, Shay met an older boy, Liam O'Brien, and the two became friends. Shay was raised by his aunt in a poor and dangerous neighborhood, and Liam helped Shay learn how to fend for himself. By the tender age of eight, Shay earned a reputation as a brawler, and his father brought him aboard his ship. Shay was always on the lookout for an adventure and, although he would miss his friend Liam, he eagerly agreed and began to work for a living. Shay began to train with a sword and a pistol so he could join the crew in fending off pirates. In one such incident, Shay single-handedly faced down and shot a pirate captain, saving his ship.

In 1747, disaster struck at sea when a storm claimed many lives of Shay's crew, including his father. Shay returned to New York and spent his days wandering from one tavern to the next, starting one brawl after another. By chance, in 1748, Shay reunited with Liam OBrien, who helped him get back on his feet. After that, the two became inseparable. Liam introduced Shay to Achilles Davenport and he learned about the Assassin Order and their creed. He joined them a year later. His training was assigned to Liam and his fellow recruits Hope Jensen, Chevalier de la Verendrye, and Kesegowaase.

In January 1752, he camped on Port Menier on the island of Anticosti with Verendrye, Hope, Kesegowaase, and Liam, and trained there by attempting to attack Liam from above after a chase. However, Liam dodged him, and told him that him "nearly" getting him was not enough. When they heard shots, they headed to the Chevalier's camp. Liam told Shay that he was meeting with smugglers, but the reason was secret. When they headed to the Chevalier, he told them that the British killed his men. When Shay disrespectfully referred to the Chevalier as "Captain" when he said that he was busy and could not rescue the smugglers with him, the Chevalier hit him in the face. The two fought until Liam broke up the fight, and all of them headed to rescue the smugglers from the British. He killed the guards defending four smugglers on the shore, and freed the smugglers being held on the schooner HMS Morrigan after killing the sailors with the aid of the Chevalier and the other assassins. Shay took a liking to the schooner, and Chevalier let him take over the ship, although he called it a piece of garbage. Shay showed that the ship was battle-worthy by sinking the British ships attacking Chevalier's flagship Le Gerfaut, and after destroying the British ships, he set a course for the Mentor Achilles Davenport at the Davenport Homestead.

The Assassins set out on the newly-acquired "Morrigan and "Le Gerfaut" and arrived in March 1752. While cutting some wood there, Shay saw Achilles meeting with his fellow assassin Adewale, an elderly assassin from the West Indies. Liam told him that he freed many of his brothers from slavery and was a veteran Assassin. Shay decided to go to training with Kesegowaase in the woods, but he decided to listen in on a conversation between Achilles and Adewale from a hiding spot in the bushes; at the entrance to the patio where they sat stood the Chevalier, who told Shay to do some work before he found some for him. Shay heard that an earthquake rocked Port-au-Prince in 1751 and that no family was left untouched. He also heard that Vendredi, a Maroon fighter and a member of the Assassins, was missing. An important item called the "Voynich Manuscript" was lost, but Shay knew nothing of it. After the conversation ended, he decided to head to training. He found Kesegowaase, Hope, and Liam waiting there. Kesegowaase was upset that he missed n hour of training, and Hope was upset that he had so much potential and little discipline. Shay decided to train with Liam first. Liam told Shay to use his pistols in learning how to shoot strait, and after shooting three targets standing still, he ran a course and shot six targets on the run. He then decided to train with Hope Jensen, and she told him that she was going to teach him a myriad of ways how to kill people. He learned how to kill people from haystacks, from bushes, and from above, and she was impressed with his skills. Shay then headed to his final training with Kesegowaase, who would tell him how to survive on the frontier by teaching him hunting. Shay silently assassinated an elk and was told by Kesegowaase that he had to take from what he had done to nature, and he skinned the animal. He used its resources of Eastern Elk hide to craft some pistol holders, and he was told that Achilles had one more thing to show him. Shay headed over to the cliff near his ship, and Achilles gave him two pistols. He then saw Adewale tell Achilles that his supplies would help the Haitian people, and Shay was introduced to Adewale. Adewale told him that the Voynich Manuscript translated codes, and Achilles told him that it could lead the Assassins to several First Civilization temple sites.

When Shay returned to the docks, Liam told him that they had to set out to choose their own battlefield against the Templars. The two set sail aboard the Morrigan and in April 1752 reached the city of Halifax in Nova Scotia, French Canada. While sailing out, Liam told Shay that Achilles tasked him to task Shay with following a lead on the Voynich manuscript. Liam told Shay that Achilles often corresponded with Assassins on other continents and was writing down what little there was to know about the pieces of Eden, explaining that this was the reason why he was always bent over his papers in his office. When they anchored at Port La Joye (present-day Port-la-Joye - Fort Amherst, Prince Edward Island, Canada), they talked with the harbormaster. The Chevalier was there, and he told Shay that a spy who worked with a pirate had a lead on the manuscript. They set out for Anticosti, where they would meet the spy, "Le Chasseur". However, they saw English schooner HMS Dunwich in trouble off Port La Joye, so they decided to board it after incapacitating it and lighten King George II of Great Britain's pockets. After killing 5 crew members, Shay collected 10 pieces of wood, 30 pieces of metal, a crew member, and 6 barrels of burning oil. The ship was salvaged and used to repair the Morrigan, and Liam advised Shay to head to a harbormaster in Perce to make the ship stronger. Cormac improved the broadside cannons using some of his metal, and he also improved his hull so that it was stronger. Afterwards, they resumed their course for Anticosti Island. However, their path was blocked by 5 Royal Navy warships of Great Britain that sunk a few fishing boats that strayed into their territorial waters, and Shay decided to sink every last one of the ships to avenge the civilians that were killed. The five ships were easily sunk, and the crew headed to Anticosti to meet with Le Chasseur. Before they headed to harbor, they boarded schooner HMS Intrepid and killed five of the crew, looting 7 pieces of wood, 10 pieces of metal, 15 pieces of cloth, 10 pieces of stone, and getting a new crew member. Shay then headed to the fort with the other assassins, where they met with Le Chasseur, a member of the Haitian Assassins. He overheard him saying that the British ships were full of barrels of beef, and said that they could loot some if they boarded them. The assassins found out that a Templar named Lawrence Washington stole the manuscript after Shay recognized his name (Le Chasseur mentioned that a Washington stole the artifact). Shay was tasked with finding Lawrence Washington and the manuscript by the assassin council. After synchronizing the viewpoint at the fort, he set out with Liam to go to the Hudson River Valley. They sunk schooner HMS Sedgwick en route, and then headed to the river valley (the lands from the St. Lawrence River gulf area of southern Canada and the northern United States down to the plantation of Mount Vernon, Virginia) in July 1752. They headed to Two Bends, a former French fort that was taken over by bandits, and they met together. Achilles told Shay that Washington was a businessman and a politician, and Hope told them that Washington recently returned from the West Indies with a package. Shay was sent to find Washington, find out as much as he could, and kill him. He followed British frigate HMS Tryton until it reached a blockade near Mount Vernon, Virginia, and Shay was forced to track the shipment on foot to avoid getting detected by the British armada.

Shay tailed the ship to dock at Mount Vernon and snuck his way towards the shipment, and when he looted the shipment, he found a rifle and a cartridge. A British soldier entered the ship and told him to stay where he was, but Cormac shot him with the air rifle, which slowly knocked him out without any sound. Shay took the rifle for himself, and he could use it to shoot sleep or berserk darts. He then headed inland to locate Washington, and when he overlooked the plantation from a viewpoint, he found out that Washington was having a garden party. He infiltrated the party and saw Lawrence, who was ill, speeking with his younger half-brother George Washington. Lawrence told George to get some wine for the guests, and Lawrence talked with a few friends. He overheard Lawrence telling his friends not to bring George into the Templars when he died, and he told his friends Samuel Smith and James Wardrop to decode the manuscript. While Lawrence greeted two guests, Shay rushed up to him and stabbed him in the back in a running assassination. Lawrence told Shay that his allies could escape now that he was attacking him, but before he died, he thanked Shay for making his death a quick one. Shay then escaped by using smoke bombs, only to find the Morrigan under fire from British warships. Shay took over the wheel and sunk a British schooner pursuing the Morrigan, and they escaped. Shay told Liam that the Templars did not sound too put-out by Washington's loss and that two other Templars escaped, going after the box and the manuscript. Liam told him that he did his job well, having assassinated Washington and followed his orders.

Between 1752 and 1754, not much changed. Achilles' wife Abigail and his son Connor died, and Liam saw Achilles crying often, but he looked more furious than sad. In May 1754, Shay and Liam set out to meet the Chevalier and Le Chasseur in Saint John's, Newfoundland, where Le Chasseur had a new lead on the manuscript and box. En route, Shay boarded schooner HMS Intrepid after it attacked two Assassin ships, and Shay took it over for use in repairing the Morrigan. Shay met Chevalier and Le Chasseur on the fort walls in St. John, and Le Chasseur informed Shay that Samuel Smith searched far and wide to look for the manuscript. After he returned from Europe, he refitted his schooner, so the Assassins would hunt him down there. Before the assassins left, Le Chasseur gifted them with Puckle guns for the Morrigan. The Chevalier came along with Shay to locate the Equitas and slay Smith, while also testing out the Puckle guns. Smith attempted to flee, and four British warships ambushed Shay as he chased Smith. Shay used his cannon and puckle guns to fire on the British, and he defeated a boarding attempt by the British, using the enemy ship to repair the Morrigan. Smith stayed behind, hoping to be a spectator to Shay's demise. However, Shay killed all of the enemies and chased Smith to his encampment at the docks of Terra Nova in Newfoundland. Shay left the ship and used smoke bombs to avoid the guards, and Smith cowered near his tent. Cormac stabbed him in the back with his swords and took the box as Smith tried to crawl towards it, and Smith told him that the greatest scientific minds of Europe could not make it work. Shay needed the manuscript to make it work, and he fled the scene.

While leaving, Shay lamented on how Samuel Smith could barely hold his sword straight, but Liam reminded him that killing him was necessary. He then informed him that they had to go to Albany, where the Templar James Wardrop was located. Wardrop took part in the rooting of Native Americans out of their lands and was responsible for countless massacres, one of the most ruthless and devious men in the American Colonies. While sailing past northern Newfoundland, Shay spotted two French ships (schooner Nymphe and brig Topaz) engaging in a battle with four British warships off Lewisporte. Shay sunk all four British warships (although Nymphe was sunk) and docked next to Topaz, where Captain Justin Lecerf awarded him with 1,000 pounds and 5 crew members.

Cormac then headed to Albany in July 1754, using some gang members as cover while he ran over a bridge from the British restricted area to the gang-controlled area. He met with Liam and Hope near a watchtower, and he was told that George Washington fired on French troops under Jumonville. The battle was called an act of war, and the Congress of Albany was called to discuss the French and Indian threat. Shay was sent to find James Wardrop, who was in session in the congress. Shay had to kill Wardrop and find the manuscript, which could win the Assassin struggle in the West Indies. While in a crowd in Albany, he saw a Templar named William Johnson standing in a crowd, speaking with statesman Benjamin Franklin, who gave his "Join or Die" speech. He overheard Captain Christian Gallin telling Johnson that Wardrop refused to hand over the manuscript because it was too dangerous, and when Franklin left, Johnson told the captain go to Fort Frederick and tell Wardrop to hand over the manuscript or else he would have him scalped. Shay chased the captain to the gates of the fort and shot him twice in the back before finishing him off with his sword and dagger, and he killed the many guards that rushed to his aid. Shay then set out to find Wardrop and the manuscript. He found Wardrop in the fort, and when the guards told Wardrop that a hooded man was attacking the fort, Wardrop fled through the front exit. Cormac stabbed Cormac through the back with a sword as he ran and leapt at him, and in his last words, Wardrop told Shay that if everything was permitted, then nothing was safe. Cormac told him that even the Devil could quote the scripture to suit his own purpose, and proceeded to leave for Sleepy Hollow, where the Assassins were to meet with Hope and Benjamin Franklin.

Franklin did not know about the Assassins and Templars, and Shay introduced himself as Hope's associate. Franklin told them that the British Army confiscated his lightning rods and he had to delay his experiment, so as Hope helped Franklin prepare the experiment, Shay headed to the marketplace to investigate their location. While Hope convinced Franklin that the army confiscated the rods to use their metal in war, Shay headed to the market to find the British soldiers. He tailed a soldier after observing him walking with a box containing the rods, and used a berserk dart to distract guards that guarded the Sleepy Hollow Bridge after the man crossed it. After the man headed to a storage house to put the lighting rods with the rest, Shay killed him as he attempted to ring an alarm bell after seeing him in some corn rows. He stole the rods and returned to Franklin, who prepared his experiment. Shay helped Franklin with the rods, and Franklin placed some spheres on the rods in a special formation. The explosion of the lightning hit the box, which showed a map. It showed a location on the map that pointed to Lisbon, Portugal, and Shay told Hope that he was going to Lisbon while she took care of Franklin. Shay headed to Two Bends to meet with the nearest Assassin Bureau, and talked with Hope and Achilles there.

Hope asked if Shay could find the place, and he told them that the place was a convent close to the Lisbon harbor. Achilles told Shay that the duty lay upon him, and Hope told Shay that she secured a ship for him to cross the ocean in. Liam was unavailable, so it would be Shay alone who would take the Piece of Eden from the precursor temple. In November 1755, Shay reached Lisbon in his ship. The Feast of All Saints was being held at the time, so he was able to enter the church while a mass was being held. He unlocked the temple after turning four keystones, and he found the artifact in the tunnel that opened up to him. However, the artifact disintegrated and rocks began to fall from above. He fled from Lisbon as an earthquake began, taking down many buildings and killing several civilians. Shay was able to reach a building and jumped through the window, crashing into the water. He was able to escape to a ship in the harbor, and as he left, he saw the city's destruction. A sailor asked how God could do this, and Shay told him that God had nothing to do with it, feeling mad that the Assassins wanted him to use that piece of Eden. Shay confronted Achilles angrily, and told him that the manuscript started the Lisbon earthquake just as it did the Port-au-Prince one in 1751. Achilles had Shay thrown out of the homestaed after Shay asked him what city he wanted to destroy next. Shay pondered to himself that there was no excuse for the madness, and set out to infiltrate the manor. He entered Achilles' room on the second floor and stole the manuscript, although Achilles (donning his armor) confronted him. Shay told Achilles that he was not stealing from his brothers, but making amends. Shay told him that the mad grab for power ended then, and Achilles attempted to fight Shay. Shay jumped out a window and fled, but Achilles ordered his men to stop Shay. Shay fled to his ship as the Assassins were bombarded by it, and many Assassins attempted to pursue him. He ran to a cliffside, where the assassins encountered him. Shay told his former friends that he could not let another earthquake happen, and the Chevalier shot him. Shay fell from the cliff, presumed to be dead by the Assassin Order, and the manuscript was presumed to be lost.